Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the same

Abstract

An ultrasonic probe which improves the directivity of the ultrasonic transmission beam by reducing the grating lobes at the time of transmitting ultrasonic waves. An ultrasonic probe 1 comprising a plurality of transducers 2 for transmitting ultrasonic waves and for receiving the reflected echoes thereof, and having a backing member 3 formed on the back surfaces of said transducers 2 as well as an acoustic matching layer and an acoustic lens formed on the front surfaces of said transducers, wherein the transducers 2 are formed in the shape of a predetermined small block and are arranged in many number in a spherical shape on the front surface of the backing member 3 formed in a spherical surface protruding in a semicircular manner. By applying the transmission signals which are in phase to the number of the transducers 2 to drive them, the sound pressure of the transmitted ultrasonic waves uniformly propagate in all directions, establishing a transmission from a point source of sound. By reducing the grating lobes at the time of transmitting ultrasonic waves, furthermore, the directivity of the ultrasonic transmission beam is improved.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An ultrasonic probe comprising a plurality of transducers for transmitting ultrasonic waves and for receiving the reflected echoes thereof, and having a backing member formed on the back surfaces of said transducers as well as an acoustic matching layer and an acoustic lens formed on the front surfaces of said transducers, wherein said transducers are arranged in a spherical shape. 
     
     
       2. An ultrasonic probe according to claim  1 , wherein said transducers form a plurality of reception beams. 
     
     
       3. An ultrasonic probe comprising a plurality of transducers for transmitting ultrasonic waves and for receiving the reflected echoes thereof, and having a backing member formed on the back surfaces of said transducers as well as an acoustic matching layer and an acoustic lens formed on the front surfaces of said transducers, wherein said transducers are formed in the shape of a predetermined small block, and the number of the transducers in the form of a small block are arranged in a spherical shape on the front surface of a backing member formed in the shape of a spherical surface protruding in a semispherical manner. 
     
     
       4. An ultrasonic probe according to claim  2 , wherein each of said transducers is formed in the shape of a circular plate or a polygonal plate, and the transducers of the shape of the circular plate only or the transducers of the shape of the polygonal plate only, or the transducers of the shape of the circular plate and the transducers of the shape of the polygonal plate in combination, are arranged in a spherical shape. 
     
     
       5. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising a probe having a plurality of transducers that are arranged to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves into, and from, a subject, a transmission unit for transmitting transmission signals to the transducers in the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves, a reception unit for amplifying, phasing and adding reflected echo signals from said probe, a signal processing unit for processing reception signals from the reception unit, an image storage unit for storing image data by converting the reception signals after processed into image data and effecting an image processing, a display unit for displaying the image data from the image storage unit, a control unit for controlling the operations of said constituent elements, and an input means for inputting operation instructions to said control unit, wherein an ultrasonic probe of any one of claims  1  to  3  is used as said probe, transmission signals which are in phase are sent from said transmission unit to the number of the transducers constituting the probe to generate a sound field equivalent to the one generated by a point source of sound without directivity, and said reception unit simultaneously generates a plurality of reception beams upon receiving the reception signals from said probe. 
     
     
       6. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim  4 , wherein said image storage unit has a frame memory that stores image data for simultaneously displaying at least two or more two-dimensional tomographic images or image data for displaying a three-dimensional image. 
     
     
       7. An ultrasonic probe comprising a plurality of transducers for transmitting ultrasonic waves and for receiving the reflected echoes thereof, and having a backing member formed on the back surfaces of said transducers as well as an acoustic matching layer and an acoustic lens formed on the front surfaces of said transducers, wherein said transducers are so arranged as to generate a sound field equivalent to the one generated by a point source of sound without directivity. 
     
     
       8. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising a probe having a plurality of transducers that are arranged to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves into, and from, a subject, a transmission/reception unit for transmitting ultrasonic signals to said probe and for receiving ultrasonic signals from said probe, and an image display unit for displaying received ultrasonic signals as an image, wherein said transducers are arranged in a spherical shape. 
     
     
       9. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim  8 , wherein said probe is equipped with a backing member formed in a spherical surface protruding in a semispherical manner, said transducers are formed in the shape of a predetermined small block and are arranged on the front surface of said backing member. 
     
     
       10. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim  9 , wherein each of said transducers is formed in the shape of a circular plate. 
     
     
       11. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim  9 , wherein each of said transducers is formed in the shape of a polygonal plate. 
     
     
       12. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim  9 , wherein each of said transducers is formed in the shape of a circular plate and a polygonal plate in combination. 
     
     
       13. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim  8 , wherein said transmission/reception unit simultaneously generated a plurality of reception beams upon receiving reception signals from said probe. 
     
     
       14. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising a probe having a plurality of transducers that are arranged to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves into, and from, a subject, a transmission/reception unit for transmitting ultrasonic signals to said probe and for receiving ultrasonic signals from said probe, and an image display unit for displaying received ultrasonic signals as an image, wherein said transducers are so arranged as to generate a sound field equivalent to the one generated by a point source of sound without directivity.